Turkey Recipe? Diet for dog with mast cell tumors?

This is the place to share your best homemade dog food and treat recipes with each other! Remember to use caution if your pet has allergies and to make any diet changes gradually so that your dog's stomach can adjust to the new foods you are introducing.

I have a 6 year old terrier who just had a mast cell tumor removed. In doing research about that, I ran across an article that suggests NOT feeding fish to such a dog, as fish tends to produce too much histamine. I am now paranoid to continue feeding him fish in case I'm doing the wrong thing. However, he has been licking his paws for a year or so, and because of this, I am trying to stay away from things that might be problematic from a food allergy standpoint. I've often said I would homecook for him, but I find Nutrition Data intimidating, and don't want to homecook until I can feel I am feeding him a balanced diet. I don't want to just cook protein and add calcium and supplements because I'm afraid of what's in the supplements.

To make a long story short, I was hoping that someone had already worked out a diet using turkey or some other food that might be "safe" for a dog with possible food allergies. He is about 40 pounds and 6 years old.

Also, I will post in another section of the forums as well, but if anyone reading this knows anything about whether there are any foods to avoid for a dog that has had a mast cell tumor removed, I'd love to see some links to research.

Thanks much. I'm sorry to sound so helpless (in not being able to use ND, even with Sedona's great post), but I just lost my other dog to cancer (hemangiosarcoma) 2 weeks ago and now Joey is ill, so I'm not up to my normal capable self.

Joey, when my dal had mast cell tumors removed she did not go on a special diet, but she also had no allergies that I knew of. Alot of dogs have allergies to grains, have you tried your pup on a grain free food? Could that possibly stop the paw licking? Alot of good brands make grain free foods with chicken or turkey as the protein.

Yes, it was Sooner, though she had two mast cell tumors removed, 2 years later she was diagnosed with lymphoma and that is how we lost her. But my vet never had her on a special diet with the mast cells. Could you try chicken or turkey in the grain free brand you are using now? That could possibly help with the allergies.

I wouldn't trust an online recipe unless it comes from a trained person like Monica Segal, Sabine Contreras or Susan Wynn. There are a huge number of just plain bad recipes out there. Why don't you get in touch with one for a recipe? It seems it would be worth the peace of mind.

Monica Segal has a recipe for cancer patients in Optimal Nutrition but it has beef and rice and you absolutely cannot just switch meats as every one has a different nutrient profile so it wouldn't do you a bit of good unless you did the work to rebalance it.

Hi Sassy. I'm just curious why you think there are a lot of bad recipes out there. Is that because I need the best I can get for a dog with mast cell tumors, or is Nutrition Data not a good source in general, or do you think I will get some very generic, non-balanced recipes by asking for them here, or what? I was just curious. I suppose I could give the beef and rice recipe a try, as I'm not set on turkey. It just seems to be something that's widely available, inexpensive, and doesn't seem to produce allergic reactions as much as beef (just judging from what I've read = may or may not be true!) Are there any free recipes by Segal, Contreras, and Wynn, or do these experts work for a fee only?

Hi Sassy. I'm just curious why you think there are a lot of bad recipes out there. Is that because I need the best I can get for a dog with mast cell tumors, or is Nutrition Data not a good source in general, or do you think I will get some very generic, non-balanced recipes by asking for them here, or what? I was just curious. I suppose I could give the beef and rice recipe a try, as I'm not set on turkey. It just seems to be something that's widely available, inexpensive, and doesn't seem to produce allergic reactions as much as beef (just judging from what I've read = may or may not be true!) Are there any free recipes by Segal, Contreras, and Wynn, or do these experts work for a fee only?

I see so many recipes with not enough minerals and vitamins. If you see a poultry recipe without added iron, zinc and copper as well as calcium it will be low in those essential minerals. Poultry is low in B vitamins as well. I see a lot of recipes with severely limited protein as well. These people have an online presence, read and see what you think. Susan Wynn has a recipe online
http://www.susanwynn.com/Homemade_Diet_Recipe.php
Monica Segal has recipes in her newsletter.
http://monicasegal.com/aboutus/newsletter.php

My favorite way to feed isn't what you are looking for as it isn't a single balanced recipe.
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/cooked-diet/
and read through http://www.dogaware.com/ for loads of information on feeding dogs better.

I love nutritiondata but it is a human site so the numbers aren't right for dogs. Each dog needs more or less of this or that. I put Max and Sassy's numbers into ND so when I put a recipe into tracking I know what is high and low for them.

Yes, there are great food combinations that get posted here without any quantities or guidelines. Some are very random sounding and may not be serious recipes at all. My recipes are just starting places, they are pretty good with more than 50% of the all vitamins and minerals needed for a balanced diet for Max but that is for Max and they aren't perfect even for him.